Thanks Ed. I really need to show this to my wife, just so I can make my point that I do NOT have too many telescopes. In fact, I appear to be falling behind.
@@WilliamBlakers Amen! When I'm not home at 4 am, my wife knows where I am. I'm on the lawn dressed in a thermal onesie, pac boots, a balaclava, and an eyepatch.
You are missing some binoculars! Can you do a video on astro binoculars? I know you talked about them in some of the Q/A videos but it would be nice to see a review of a binocular telescope or at least some of the bigger offerings out there.
Hi Ed, another great video. Can you do a similar video on eye pieces? Would be interested to see your collection and hear your thoughts on how your set up changes per scope etc. Keep up the great work.
So, including the ones you mentioned in the description section, I counted 46. I'm hovering around 18 presently, with a few currently for sale or planning on being given away. "Keeper" list is closer to a dozen.
Took your advice and bought the Orion ST 120, well now also bought the Celestron XLT 120mm 1000mm focal length telescope and for $400 including tax and free shipping. My refractor world is now complete. Life is good. Thank you for all you do.
Hi, Ed. Thanks for your extraordinary contributions to our hobby. Your reviews years ago were very helpful in me learning about and purchasing eyepieces -- and I 'm wondering if you might also do a video on the "state of the eyepiece collection." Would love to hear your current thinking about eyepieces!
Wow! 💫 I'm still a newbie but I jumped in & started my astro journey with binos gifted to me of 10x50, then bought 20x80 binos, then bought a sturdy camera tripod for them, then sold the 20x80 binos & reinvested to buy a telescope, a Mak 102 astro fi, couldn't get it aligned, kept the scope & sold the tripod, invested the money towards a SW200p & eq5 mount, slipped a disc & couldn't carry it around & no room in the house to store, sold both then invested in a 130 newt tabletop dob! So now I have it, plus the 102 Mak ota, a heavy duty camera tripod, binos 10x50. I've just bought a used canon 450d dslr. I also invested in a high quality 27mm eyepiece, my most used, it is levels above all the standard supplied eyepieces! I now have £100 left from my sales, I want to invest in a short tube refractor with any kind of decent mount, a challenge for sure! 🤞😄 But watching this I now know it's not crazy at all to want more than 2 telescopes 😁 Btw so sorry for the loss of your cats 😥 we have 6 indoor cats & 4 outdoor ferals that we look after with housing & food.
Nice report! I recommended a C6 to my friend who is new to the hobby - she loves it! I hope you have good insurance :) Man that is a lot of precious equipment! RE the Unitron - I've heard that sometimes the optics are not great, but never heard of one that is just awful, so it has to be assembled incorrectly. Easy to do. Also easy to fix.
Thank you Ed. As someone wishing to develop my currently minimal astronomy skills and equipment, I appreciate your generous sharing of experience and wisdom. I wonder if it would be possible for you to present similar comparisons and discussion of your optical and imaging accessories, mounts and supports etc. I realise some of this is already in your back catalogue, I'm still catching up.
Ed, you are the man! Great review of your 2022 telescope collection. There is no such thing as too many whether it is telescopes or eyepieces. Many of us amateur astronomers also have the "collecting" bug -- astro or non-astro -- and so it can easily become a huge collection. Keep the videos coming!
Brilliant round up of a great collection Ed i have been in this hobby since school way back in the 80s and i honestly don't know how i got to 10 scopes a variety of sct, newtonion, binoculars,solar,maksutov, refractors, not to mention mounts and eyepieces camera gear etc! its a great hobby we all love.
ED!!! I love your videos,but Smoky and Ewok..wow..what beautiful cats. Sorry for your loss, glad you had them and nice to see you keeping their memory alive.
What a wonderful collection, it’s like getting a museum tour for free. Such a great video, and I don’t feel bad for having one Schmidt Cassegrain, one 5 inch refractor, and one Coronado PST solar scope. I really enjoy all your videos and look forward to whenever there is a new release. Clear skies,🤣👍
I remember the days (1980's) when tracking was just too exensive. Learning everything was the point, not having a lot. My first scope was a Jason equatorially mounted 2.2" refractor, no drive. Learned A LOT with that scope! And still have it, including the box!!
Ed, you are an amazing amateur astronomer and a GREAT LOVER of telescopes. Thank you for your videos, analisys and everythings, meanly for show us ALL your telescopes.
I'm very new to the hobby as my dad got me into it very recently (I'm 25 and he's turning 60 next month) this'll be a great thing for him and I to do together. I greatly appreciate all of your information! I purchased a used Skywatcher 130 heritage and it showed up today just in time for camping! Love the videos, great information, I might even dare call you the Bob Ross of astronomy! Binging your content every day for the last little bit here!
I have an Orion Skyview Pro 8 inch Reflector on a Skyview Pro equatorial mount and tripod with a True Trac dual axis motor drive and I absolutely love it. It's a great all around rig with an 8 inch parabolic primary mirror, 2 inch Crayford focuser, 1000 mm focal length and an f-ratio of 4.9, it's a light bucket. I wouldn't use anything other than an eq mount. I also have a dual finder scope mount for my 9x40 scope and my red dot finder. I also have a really nice polar alignment scope. I think for the money this is a lot of bang for your buck. Really easy to collimate, I don't use a laser collimator, collimation cap and a bright star! It's just too bad that Orion discontinued this model but I was fortunate enough to purchase a second brand new motor drive just in case this one on my mount fails, but so far so good it still works great, tracks absolutely perfect. I use a cmos color camera for the solar system and a Canon EOS M10 mirrorless camera for deep sky.
Hi Ed, Just wanted to thank you for your work. Your enthusiasm for astronomy and your calm and direct way of words made ne listen and learn. Without you my interest for astronomy might not have resurfaced. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
What a fascinating individual you are. You must be a delightful person to have as a friend. Loved the little corner for your old mates. Thank goodness that I am coming to this hobby at no longer such a young age, as I also enjoy not starving. It's mid-June already and you're still sporting a rather warm jacket. If you don't mind my asking, how many degrees North are you at? :o thanks for the many great videos and for being you
New Hampshire is mostly 43 degrees latitude, northern part reaches 44. I live at 32 with around 300 sunny days a year and Bortle 2 is 30 minutes away..
Thank you for sharing! When I saw your bike I wondered if you had any telescopes near your piano (seen your piano videos a long time ago) I wish I were that talented! Blessings to you and your family!
I got the collecting bug and at one point also had a Meade 8" Research Grade with rotating rings (really massive in person), the red Tasco, and a half dozen other scopes... at least. I gave them away to someone who hopefully made better use of them and kept my 8" Portaball and 15" Litebox. I loved all the scopes, I just wasn't organized enough. You have a wonderful collection, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tour of the rabbit hole! Although I loved the night sky all my life, it took 56 years to buy a real telescope (last year). It is indeed a rabbit hole, as my wife can attest to but a lot of fun discovering what is out there in my Bortle 1 and 2 skies! Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you for saying "Nay Gler". This is the first time I've heard it spoken, and up until now thought the A was short. I also used to call the Kuiper Belt, the "Koo - ee - per" Belt.
Enjoyed another one of your videos. I am more of a newbie and self taught but use your information all the time. My budgets much lower than many but I picked up a Celeston C8 90's last fall. My first true telescope. It was on Craigslist locally ( I live in your old stopping grounds Champaign il) When I investigate more about the scope prior to purchase ,it was being sold by and instructor of astronomy at Parkland college. After speaking to her husband I could determine they took good care of it. It has early "computer" drive and go to. The drive tracks well enough. I haven't explored the go -to much yet. Learning to find things in the sky on my own.
What an interesting video Ed to see all your scopes and hear the stories behind them. I have just added a C925 to my small collection based in part due to your high recommendations and love it. A very nice gesture to your two cats by the way.
Love your tribute to your two cats. I know it's hard to lose them, but do you have new cats? There are plenty out there who need good homes. Thanks for all your hard work.
Sounds like we should count them up and label the amount equal to One Ting. So if someone has a Two Ting or Three Ting collection we can be very suitably impressed. :D I think I'm in the 1/10th Ting class, hardly worth mentioning. :P You (and I have joined the club myself) seem to have confirmed the old adage, the older you get the smaller the scope you tend to use. And your C11 looks a lot bigger than mine!
After watching your video on recommended telescopes to buy for beginners, I am the proud owner of the Skywatcher Classic 200P and I don’t regret it one bit. Couldn’t find any sellers of Orion here in Canada. Although I must admit that I started this journey by making the most common mistake - buying a $100 department grade telescope :D got rid of it quickly though. Thanks for your videos.
Hi Ed, I just want to say thanks for your thoughts and advice on all things astronomy and telescopes and equipment. I am a fan of all things refractor. I have a Altair astro 102mm f11 starwave on a Sky-watcher EQ5 and I also have Istar 150mm f8 R35 slim refractor on a EQ6. I had to put the Istar on a EQ6 because it weighs about 15kg however it is a nice around telescope and presents some nice views of the night sky. Kind regards......
For the XT8 did you say Televue 20 to 7mm? So is that a zoom optic? It was hard to understand you as I think you bumped your mic right as you were saying it. I'm talking about the 2:03 mark in the video
Ed I put this on while I was cleaning my office and trying to get my telescope gear organized, thanks this made me feel a lot less bad about how messy my collection is. ;P
You have an awesome collection Ed, I wish I lived closer.. I would love to have the chance to learn from one of the best! I know this is an older video, but I just discovered your channel. I talked my gf into buying my first telescope for my birthday, your channel has helped me decide what to look for.
I’m planning to rob Ed’s entire collection of telescopes. But first, I have to find a fast enough eighteen-wheeler for a get-away vehicle 😅! Thanks for sharing your passion with us, Ed!
Ed I rememer your presentation at Cherry Springs Star Party in PA years ago. Do you have that incredible table top telescope you ordered that promissed to see as much as the Hubble and maybe find Will Robinson and family ?
I know you like your Dobs but Refractors are so clear and easy to use, I love my Zenith Star 61, amazing wide field unit. Not sure if you’ve ever reviewed one?
Very nice collection ed, I feel less worried about my own collections now. You did fail to mention all the lenses and filters you have I suspect they are equally vast and epic...
Nice collection and it was fun to hear you say a few words about each. I have to say I’m impressed with your old LiteSpeed! (you need to take it out for a spin) 😀
I was beginning to get concerned that I had way too many telescopes for my own good. After watching your excellent video, I can relax. I have some way to go yet !!!
Wonderful insight into your collection Ed, and fascinating to hear which ones you use the most. My favourite in your collection - probably the beautiful big Meade research grade Newt. 👍👍
Got to show this to the wife. Can see it now, “See honey, 5 telescopes is not too many.” Recently got my cataract surgery so a renewed interest in hobby astronomy. Unfortunately where I live, south Puget Sound, Washington, having a telescope is sort of like having a boat in the middle of the sahara. Three of the five were purchased in the last 8 months. A Orion short tube 80 and a little Orion 3 inch reflector reviewed by you a few months ago. You are right, the EQ mount is really bad and will probably be in the corner of the garage forever, I’ve put it on a home made dob that is steady and smooth. The shortage of aftermarket accessories is frustrating, everybody seems to be out of everything.
Speaking of eyepieces, could you do a eyepiece video? I can tell from all the similarities than some are made by the same company and rebranded, its hard to tell what you rreally getting...
Why do you say the Celestron CGE mount is based on the G11? I know Celestron used to put their name on the Losmsndy G-11 and the G11 appears to be the inspiration for the Celestron CI-700 mount. However, it does not appear there is much Losmandy DNA left in the CGE, other than that related to all German equatorial mounts.
Gee Ed, You have succeeded in making the distinction between hoarding and collecting nebulous. I have about 12 telescopes half of which were bought used. For me to get another telescope I would have to sell my 1970 Plymouth GTX classic muscle car to make room it. You do have a great collection and this has helped appease my wife that I do not have too many telescopes. Thanks for all the reviews you do!
Hi Ed… An impressive collection. Regarding the two blue bags, you didn’t need to explain what they are since I have a similar one here which is where Tarzi now rests. He came to me after my aunt passed and he spent the rest of his life with me. I was surprised to see the ETX scopes there… I once had an ETX 125 here, but never got around to using it. I eventually sold it (at a loss) and don’t miss it. You are absolutely right about Meade’s mount for these… pure plastic garbage.
Think a "State of the Telescope Collection: Eyepiece Edition" video would be in the near future, Ed? I ask because your 27mm Panoptic being shown in multiple videos has driven me down the eyepiece rabbit hole for the last 11 days. I've really scoured telescope forums and astronomy chatrooms about the best, all around, low power eyepiece money can buy from TeleVue. Given your expertise, it would be nice to see you rank every eyepiece within your possession, which telescope they work best with, and how they compare with other similar power eyepieces. Thank you for your showcase!
Wow! My son highly recommended your site. I am going to search for my first "real" telescope. I plan on looking thru your reviews...but holy moly, you have a TON of gear.
Great video, Ed. And here I am sweating over the decision to buy a third telescope. My wife is always staring over my shoulder as I watch your videos and saying, 'Don't even think about it!' By the way, you need an APM Super ED Apo refractor in that collection. It is optically the equal of the Takahashi and AP refractors.
I came here for your collection as I build mine. But... We had a slate gray "Russian Blue" type kitty as well. Very smart, very observant. Verrrry laid back. Also named Smokey. He lived eighteen very privileged years.
42 is the answer to the “ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything” 42 Telescopes (not counting the finderscopes) 1 Bino 2 Bicylces Don't let the wife see this comment :-)
I agree with xxxburke, the part about the cats was very touching. Have you thought of adopting a new group of cats? I could do without my four telescopes, but I could not do without my two cats and my wife. You just can't hug a telescope. Great collection of scopes though.
I Dont Want My Other 1/2 To Say A Word About How Many Scopes I Have❤️❤️Nice Collection,My Kitty’s Are In Their Favorite Place Too🙏🏻❤️🌹Nice Video Ed,Thank You ,Clear Skies❤️🙏🏻🔭✨🌏
Ed, it appears certain that you have more telescopes stashed in various places in your home than Orion Telescopes has in its showroom! So my question is, what is your wife's hobby? And does she get equal space to store all her gear?, whatever her hobby may be. Saw something interesting on the internet this morning. I was taking a look at the SVBONY 105mm f13 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. Some inventive fellow mated two of these scopes together and turned it into a very nice binocular telescope. Will send you the picture of it, if I know where to send it to. I used to have an Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope, which I quite liked. Someone else did too and broke into my home and stole it and virtually all of my other telescopes, binoculars, lens collection, tripods, stereo microscopes. movie cameras, etc. One telescope that the intruder did not steal was a six-inch Reverse Newtonian Binocular Telescope that I got from Jim's Mobile in Colorado. There were never more than six to eight of this scope produced, so I guess that I have a collector's item. ( He did steal all the matching eyepieces, however. ) Great views with this binocular telescope, but it has always been a real test of strength to lug the thing out to have a look through it. And now that I am 83 years old, the only thing that it gathers is dust, not light.
I really enjoyed the Video Ed. Thank you. What an amazing collection 🤓......and now I feel like such an underachiever and truly miss my FS-102 and vintage 60mm Pentax Asahi. 🤷🏻♂️
Hey Ed, I've been watching your channel for a few years and was curious why i never see William Optics ? keep up the awesome content ! clear skys buddy
Any chance of a video review of that tasty Takahashi FC-100 grey tube version that you have there? I also have a grey FC-100 incoming (year 1985, but it's got Multi Coated optics (purple coatings), so at some point mine was refigured or lens replacement by Tak (they offered a MC service for FC scopes around 1990 apparently, and also around 1995 Tak offered lens replacement for the cloudy lens issue that many FC pre-1986 non multi-coated lenses have). I'd love so see some pix of your FC-100's lens and cell!
Hello, Mr. Ting; Thank you for all you do, & particularly for sharing your incredible collection. Your "collection" is ASTOUNDING! I would never want that many 'scopes, as Proverbs says; "Give me neither poverty nor riches."-Proverbs 30:8. Seems like too much of a good thing, if you know what I mean. It reminds me of Solomon's women, "700 wives ... and 300 concubines".-1 Kings 11:3. How could he even maintain a relationship w/ each? My guess is you seldom use most of them. I have 2 'scopes & a pair of binoculars, I use the binocs almost daily, weather permitting. My Orion 6" StarBlast is used maybe 2-3 x / month. My 70mm refractor needs a mount so I hardly use it. Altho I have used it to view sun spots, I'm still learning to do that. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
Ed I recently purchased a 1968 Tasco 15TE-5 with all of the parts in mint condition in a beautiful hardwood box. The telescope was apparently unused, ever. Do you have the manual you could send or post? What kind of diagonal adapter to. 996 to 1-¼" eyepieces? It has all the caps (trashcan for the primary and little white cap for the finder) and 120V synchronous clock drive with springy slow motion controls and solar projection screen. It has the Royal Astro circle stamp on the focuser drawtube...
Wonderful collection, and all in use! I need to get my 10” dob and ETX125 OTA out more often now that I’ve seen this.😃👍 And get a refractor, and a decent EQ mount, and some kmaging bits, maybe an off-axis dob…
Very nice video Ed I just wanted to know, what telescope did you use to take the picture of the phrases of the moon that is behind you in some videos? (The picture on the left in 8:15)
Ed, that was a very interesting insight into your telescope collection. I imagine the majority of your UA-cam viewers probably have less than 5 telescopes. I myself just have two but, there again I'm a relative newby in astronomy. I must ask have you ever thought of rationalising your collection, for example, you do seem to have a lot of 8" diameter telescopes, at a push you could probably manage with just two, one for visual and the other for astrophotography? I'd welcome your thoughts.
Dear Ed, I have observed you don't talk much about maksutovs? Do you not like them? I never heard you recommending them either.. I would really like to hear your opinion on them
Maks exist at the top of our hobby (Questar/Quantum, Ceravolo, the Russian stuff) and at the bottom (the Chinese knockoffs). I usually do not recommend them as first telescopes. Beginners are unprepared for their long focal lengths and often buy them thinking they are "portable" which they are not - you need a big mount to hold all that focal length steady. The cheap stuff like the ETX have QC issues. But there is nothing wrong with having a Mak as a 2nd or 3rd scope.
@@edting Thanks Ed for taking time out for my question. This makes great sense, I was wondering about them as a second scope but I guess I am not sure about those long focal lengths and limited FOV yet
Thanks Ed. I really need to show this to my wife, just so I can make my point that I do NOT have too many telescopes. In fact, I appear to be falling behind.
Just remember to tell her that telescopes add structural integrity to the home and marriage, more toys equals less ladies.
@@WilliamBlakers I'll use that one! Thanks lol
@@WilliamBlakers Amen! When I'm not home at 4 am, my wife knows where I am. I'm on the lawn dressed in a thermal onesie, pac boots, a balaclava, and an eyepatch.
Right on Telo Bro!
My very same thoughts midway through ;D;D;D;D;D;D
Thanks Ed! It's really beautiful with you're two cats still hanging out together.
Really got me.
Thanks for sharing again mate, much appreciated!
The joy we call astronomy has so many facets. Collecting and surrounding ourselves with beautiful telescopes is just one of many.
That rotating ring on the Meade 880 is really cool! Thanks for showing that!
"How many telescopes do you have?"
Ed: "Yes" 😂
Thanks for the run down of all of the scopes you have too really awesome.
I wasn't expecting the tear jerker moment with you cats, that's precious. 😢
I know! I got so emotional
Thanks Ed, now I can show my wife this video and explain her there's no such thing as too many scopes 😅
Could YOU show this video to my wife?
You are missing some binoculars! Can you do a video on astro binoculars? I know you talked about them in some of the Q/A videos but it would be nice to see a review of a binocular telescope or at least some of the bigger offerings out there.
That’s not a collection, that’s a sickness. And I LOVE IT!!! Amazing collection, Sir. Kudos 👍
Hi Ed, another great video. Can you do a similar video on eye pieces? Would be interested to see your collection and hear your thoughts on how your set up changes per scope etc. Keep up the great work.
I’d like an eyepiece and accessories tour too! Thanks for the videos.
I would love eyepiece and telescope accessory review videos too
So, including the ones you mentioned in the description section, I counted 46.
I'm hovering around 18 presently, with a few currently for sale or planning on being given away. "Keeper" list is closer to a dozen.
Took your advice and bought the Orion ST 120, well now also bought the Celestron XLT 120mm 1000mm focal length telescope and for $400 including tax and free shipping. My refractor world is now complete. Life is good. Thank you for all you do.
Hi, Ed. Thanks for your extraordinary contributions to our hobby. Your reviews years ago were very helpful in me learning about and purchasing eyepieces -- and I 'm wondering if you might also do a video on the "state of the eyepiece collection." Would love to hear your current thinking about eyepieces!
Love it Ed. I showed my wife the video to explain that the 7 scopes in my collection are modest indeed. Thank You
Wow! 💫 I'm still a newbie but I jumped in & started my astro journey with binos gifted to me of 10x50, then bought 20x80 binos, then bought a sturdy camera tripod for them, then sold the 20x80 binos & reinvested to buy a telescope, a Mak 102 astro fi, couldn't get it aligned, kept the scope & sold the tripod, invested the money towards a SW200p & eq5 mount, slipped a disc & couldn't carry it around & no room in the house to store, sold both then invested in a 130 newt tabletop dob!
So now I have it, plus the 102 Mak ota, a heavy duty camera tripod, binos 10x50. I've just bought a used canon 450d dslr. I also invested in a high quality 27mm eyepiece, my most used, it is levels above all the standard supplied eyepieces!
I now have £100 left from my sales, I want to invest in a short tube refractor with any kind of decent mount, a challenge for sure! 🤞😄
But watching this I now know it's not crazy at all to want more than 2 telescopes 😁
Btw so sorry for the loss of your cats 😥 we have 6 indoor cats & 4 outdoor ferals that we look after with housing & food.
thanks Ed. In my XT8 I use a Televue 32mm plossl and an 11mm Nagler the most.
Nice report! I recommended a C6 to my friend who is new to the hobby - she loves it! I hope you have good insurance :) Man that is a lot of precious equipment! RE the Unitron - I've heard that sometimes the optics are not great, but never heard of one that is just awful, so it has to be assembled incorrectly. Easy to do. Also easy to fix.
Thank you Ed. As someone wishing to develop my currently minimal astronomy skills and equipment, I appreciate your generous sharing of experience and wisdom. I wonder if it would be possible for you to present similar comparisons and discussion of your optical and imaging accessories, mounts and supports etc. I realise some of this is already in your back catalogue, I'm still catching up.
Ed, you are the man! Great review of your 2022 telescope collection. There is no such thing as too many whether it is telescopes or eyepieces. Many of us amateur astronomers also have the "collecting" bug -- astro or non-astro -- and so it can easily become a huge collection. Keep the videos coming!
Brilliant round up of a great collection Ed i have been in this hobby since school way back in the 80s and i honestly don't know how i got to 10 scopes a variety of sct, newtonion, binoculars,solar,maksutov, refractors, not to mention mounts and eyepieces camera gear etc! its a great hobby we all love.
ED!!! I love your videos,but Smoky and Ewok..wow..what beautiful cats. Sorry for your loss, glad you had them and nice to see you keeping their memory alive.
What a wonderful collection, it’s like getting a museum tour for free. Such a great video, and I don’t feel bad for having one Schmidt Cassegrain, one 5 inch refractor, and one Coronado PST solar scope. I really enjoy all your videos and look forward to whenever there is a new release. Clear skies,🤣👍
I remember the days (1980's) when tracking was just too exensive.
Learning everything was the point, not having a lot.
My first scope was a Jason equatorially mounted 2.2" refractor, no drive.
Learned A LOT with that scope!
And still have it, including the box!!
Looking forward to that Obsession 20” Classic review.
Ed, you are an amazing amateur astronomer and a GREAT LOVER of telescopes. Thank you for your videos, analisys and everythings, meanly for show us ALL your telescopes.
Thanks Ed! I don't feel so bad owning 10 scopes now
Ed Ting is my hero with all these scopes. I thought my 4.5 telescopes were too many but now it looks like I have work to do.
I'm very new to the hobby as my dad got me into it very recently (I'm 25 and he's turning 60 next month) this'll be a great thing for him and I to do together. I greatly appreciate all of your information! I purchased a used Skywatcher 130 heritage and it showed up today just in time for camping! Love the videos, great information, I might even dare call you the Bob Ross of astronomy! Binging your content every day for the last little bit here!
I have an Orion Skyview Pro 8 inch Reflector on a Skyview Pro equatorial mount and tripod with a True Trac dual axis motor drive and I absolutely love it. It's a great all around rig with an 8 inch parabolic primary mirror, 2 inch Crayford focuser, 1000 mm focal length and an f-ratio of 4.9, it's a light bucket. I wouldn't use anything other than an eq mount. I also have a dual finder scope mount for my 9x40 scope and my red dot finder. I also have a really nice polar alignment scope. I think for the money this is a lot of bang for your buck. Really easy to collimate, I don't use a laser collimator, collimation cap and a bright star! It's just too bad that Orion discontinued this model but I was fortunate enough to purchase a second brand new motor drive just in case this one on my mount fails, but so far so good it still works great, tracks absolutely perfect. I use a cmos color camera for the solar system and a Canon EOS M10 mirrorless camera for deep sky.
Hi Ed, Just wanted to thank you for your work. Your enthusiasm for astronomy and your calm and direct way of words made ne listen and learn. Without you my interest for astronomy might not have resurfaced. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
What a collection! Only a master Astronomer could own such
What a fascinating individual you are. You must be a delightful person to have as a friend. Loved the little corner for your old mates.
Thank goodness that I am coming to this hobby at no longer such a young age, as I also enjoy not starving.
It's mid-June already and you're still sporting a rather warm jacket. If you don't mind my asking, how many degrees North are you at? :o
thanks for the many great videos and for being you
New Hampshire is mostly 43 degrees latitude, northern part reaches 44. I live at 32 with around 300 sunny days a year and Bortle 2 is 30 minutes away..
Thank you for sharing! When I saw your bike I wondered if you had any telescopes near your piano (seen your piano videos a long time ago) I wish I were that talented! Blessings to you and your family!
I got the collecting bug and at one point also had a Meade 8" Research Grade with rotating rings (really massive in person), the red Tasco, and a half dozen other scopes... at least. I gave them away to someone who hopefully made better use of them and kept my 8" Portaball and 15" Litebox. I loved all the scopes, I just wasn't organized enough. You have a wonderful collection, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tour of the rabbit hole! Although I loved the night sky all my life, it took 56 years to buy a real telescope (last year). It is indeed a rabbit hole, as my wife can attest to but a lot of fun discovering what is out there in my Bortle 1 and 2 skies! Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you for saying "Nay Gler". This is the first time I've heard it spoken, and up until now thought the A was short. I also used to call the Kuiper Belt, the "Koo - ee - per" Belt.
Enjoyed another one of your videos. I am more of a newbie and self taught but use your information all the time. My budgets much lower than many but I picked up a Celeston C8 90's last fall. My first true telescope. It was on Craigslist locally ( I live in your old stopping grounds Champaign il) When I investigate more about the scope prior to purchase ,it was being sold by and instructor of astronomy at Parkland college. After speaking to her husband I could determine they took good care of it. It has early "computer" drive and go to. The drive tracks well enough. I haven't explored the go -to much yet. Learning to find things in the sky on my own.
What an interesting video Ed to see all your scopes and hear the stories behind them. I have just added a C925 to my small collection based in part due to your high recommendations and love it. A very nice gesture to your two cats by the way.
Love your tribute to your two cats. I know it's hard to lose them, but do you have new cats? There are plenty out there who need good homes. Thanks for all your hard work.
Ed, those where the bestest cats. Thanks for keeping them where they liked to be. ❤️
The epitome of “one man, many scopes.” Kudos and a fair bit of envy.
Ed thanks, thought I was bad. I enjoyed your video. Best Mike Peoples
I now feel so much better only having 8 scopes.
Sounds like we should count them up and label the amount equal to One Ting. So if someone has a Two Ting or Three Ting collection we can be very suitably impressed. :D
I think I'm in the 1/10th Ting class, hardly worth mentioning. :P
You (and I have joined the club myself) seem to have confirmed the old adage, the older you get the smaller the scope you tend to use. And your C11 looks a lot bigger than mine!
Don't give people ideas...
After watching your video on recommended telescopes to buy for beginners, I am the proud owner of the Skywatcher Classic 200P and I don’t regret it one bit. Couldn’t find any sellers of Orion here in Canada. Although I must admit that I started this journey by making the most common mistake - buying a $100 department grade telescope :D got rid of it quickly though. Thanks for your videos.
Hi Ed, I just want to say thanks for your thoughts and advice on all things astronomy and telescopes and equipment. I am a fan of all things refractor. I have a Altair astro 102mm f11 starwave on a Sky-watcher EQ5 and I also have Istar 150mm f8 R35 slim refractor on a EQ6. I had to put the Istar on a EQ6 because it weighs about 15kg however it is a nice around telescope and presents some nice views of the night sky. Kind regards......
I feel much better now after seing your telescopes collection!❤
For the XT8 did you say Televue 20 to 7mm? So is that a zoom optic? It was hard to understand you as I think you bumped your mic right as you were saying it. I'm talking about the 2:03 mark in the video
27mm Panoptic. I don't care for zoom eyepieces.
Ed I put this on while I was cleaning my office and trying to get my telescope gear organized, thanks this made me feel a lot less bad about how messy my collection is. ;P
You have an awesome collection Ed, I wish I lived closer.. I would love to have the chance to learn from one of the best! I know this is an older video, but I just discovered your channel. I talked my gf into buying my first telescope for my birthday, your channel has helped me decide what to look for.
great video, i hope you do the review of the 20" soon
thinking about buying the 22inch from obsession which can be transported in a regular car not bad for just 11k
I’m planning to rob Ed’s entire collection of telescopes. But first, I have to find a fast enough eighteen-wheeler for a get-away vehicle 😅! Thanks for sharing your passion with us, Ed!
Get two vehicles- there are a couple of local guys with collections bigger than mine!
This is the biggest flex I’ve ever seen. I believe my wife would end up on the First 48 if I had a collection like this.
Ed I rememer your presentation at Cherry Springs Star Party in PA years ago. Do you have that incredible table top telescope you ordered that promissed to see as much as the Hubble and maybe find Will Robinson and family ?
I still have that thing!
thank you Ed. really enjoy your videos , your knowledge is impressive . keep up the good work.
What's in the Crown Royal bag on the floor? I''ve got my Explore Scientific 2" 3X Focal Extender in mine.
It's the secondary cover for the Obsession.
@@edting, it had to surprise you that someone knew exactly what kind of bag it was! I will admit I had to go check mine to see if it matched.
I know you like your Dobs but Refractors are so clear and easy to use, I love my Zenith Star 61, amazing wide field unit. Not sure if you’ve ever reviewed one?
Very nice collection ed, I feel less worried about my own collections now. You did fail to mention all the lenses and filters you have I suspect they are equally vast and epic...
Yes, I'd like to see two more videos; one going through Ed's collection of mounts and supports, and another on his optical and imaging accessories.
I reckon Ed has 3 favourite eyepices and a barlow and everything else just happened to come with scopes.
You're such a good person, Ed, Big Thank You !!! all the information, all the detail, just so helpful, im sorry for the cats
Amazing collection Ed, thank you for sharing. Excellent video, as always.
Fun video! This makes me feel a little better about my collection!
Do not emulate me! This is a cautionary tale...
@@edting Thanks, Ed! I have a rule that if I don't use a scope in a 6 month period it's time to go- I may have had a problem in the past.. :-)
Just finished this. Ed - you have a serious obsession (and I don’t mean the telescope). I like the way you roll.
Thanks Ed, And I thought i was going over the top with a redcat51 and an astromaster.
Nice collection and it was fun to hear you say a few words about each. I have to say I’m impressed with your old LiteSpeed! (you need to take it out for a spin) 😀
I was beginning to get concerned that I had way too many telescopes for my own good. After watching your excellent video, I can relax. I have some way to go yet !!!
Wonderful insight into your collection Ed, and fascinating to hear which ones you use the most. My favourite in your collection - probably the beautiful big Meade research grade Newt. 👍👍
great vid and epic collection! would love to see an eyepiece vid...what eyepieces work best in different types of scopes, your favs, ect.
Got to show this to the wife. Can see it now, “See honey, 5 telescopes is not too many.”
Recently got my cataract surgery so a renewed interest in hobby astronomy. Unfortunately where I live, south Puget Sound, Washington, having a telescope is sort of like having a boat in the middle of the sahara. Three of the five were purchased in the last 8 months. A Orion short tube 80 and a little Orion 3 inch reflector reviewed by you a few months ago. You are right, the EQ mount is really bad and will probably be in the corner of the garage forever, I’ve put it on a home made dob that is steady and smooth. The shortage of aftermarket accessories is frustrating, everybody seems to be out of everything.
Speaking of eyepieces, could you do a eyepiece video? I can tell from all the similarities than some are made by the same company and rebranded, its hard to tell what you rreally getting...
Looking forward to the Meade 8” f6 as I just bought one and want to clean it up and tweak it, its mount is a beast!
Why do you say the Celestron CGE mount is based on the G11? I know Celestron used to put their name on the Losmsndy G-11 and the G11 appears to be the inspiration for the Celestron CI-700 mount. However, it does not appear there is much Losmandy DNA left in the CGE, other than that related to all German equatorial mounts.
Gee Ed,
You have succeeded in making the distinction between hoarding and collecting nebulous. I have about 12 telescopes half of which were bought used. For me to get another telescope I would have to sell my 1970 Plymouth GTX classic muscle car to make room it. You do have a great collection and this has helped appease my wife that I do not have too many telescopes. Thanks for all the reviews you do!
Hi Ed… An impressive collection. Regarding the two blue bags, you didn’t need to explain what they are since I have a similar one here which is where Tarzi now rests. He came to me after my aunt passed and he spent the rest of his life with me. I was surprised to see the ETX scopes there… I once had an ETX 125 here, but never got around to using it. I eventually sold it (at a loss) and don’t miss it. You are absolutely right about Meade’s mount for these… pure plastic garbage.
Think a "State of the Telescope Collection: Eyepiece Edition" video would be in the near future, Ed?
I ask because your 27mm Panoptic being shown in multiple videos has driven me down the eyepiece rabbit hole for the last 11 days. I've really scoured telescope forums and astronomy chatrooms about the best, all around, low power eyepiece money can buy from TeleVue. Given your expertise, it would be nice to see you rank every eyepiece within your possession, which telescope they work best with, and how they compare with other similar power eyepieces.
Thank you for your showcase!
That Litespeed bike is a nice bike. Lots of good scopes too!
Don't forget the Crown Royal below the Starblast.
Wow! My son highly recommended your site. I am going to search for my first "real" telescope. I plan on looking thru your reviews...but holy moly, you have a TON of gear.
Great video, Ed. And here I am sweating over the decision to buy a third telescope. My wife is always staring over my shoulder as I watch your videos and saying, 'Don't even think about it!' By the way, you need an APM Super ED Apo refractor in that collection. It is optically the equal of the Takahashi and AP refractors.
I came here for your collection as I build mine. But... We had a slate gray "Russian Blue" type kitty as well. Very smart, very observant. Verrrry laid back. Also named Smokey. He lived eighteen very privileged years.
Russian Blues are such calm friendly cats.
42 is the answer to the “ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything”
42 Telescopes (not counting the finderscopes)
1 Bino
2 Bicylces
Don't let the wife see this comment :-)
I agree with xxxburke, the part about the cats was very touching. Have you thought of adopting a new group of cats? I could do without my four telescopes, but I could not do without my two cats and my wife. You just can't hug a telescope. Great collection of scopes though.
I Dont Want My Other 1/2 To Say A Word About How Many Scopes I Have❤️❤️Nice Collection,My Kitty’s Are In Their Favorite Place Too🙏🏻❤️🌹Nice Video Ed,Thank You ,Clear Skies❤️🙏🏻🔭✨🌏
Ed, it appears certain that you have more telescopes stashed in various places in your home than Orion Telescopes has in its showroom! So my question is, what is your wife's hobby? And does she get equal space to store all her gear?, whatever her hobby may be.
Saw something interesting on the internet this morning. I was taking a look at the SVBONY 105mm f13 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. Some inventive fellow mated two of these scopes together and turned it into a very nice binocular telescope. Will send you the picture of it, if I know where to send it to. I used to have an Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope, which I quite liked. Someone else did too and broke into my home and stole it and virtually all of my other telescopes, binoculars, lens collection, tripods, stereo microscopes. movie cameras, etc.
One telescope that the intruder did not steal was a six-inch Reverse Newtonian Binocular Telescope that I got from Jim's Mobile in Colorado. There were never more than six to eight of this scope produced, so I guess that I have a collector's item. ( He did steal all the matching eyepieces, however. ) Great views with this binocular telescope, but it has always been a real test of strength to lug the thing out to have a look through it. And now that I am 83 years old, the
only thing that it gathers is dust, not light.
Excellent collection Mr Ting!, it makes my three-telescope one (almost) reasonable 🙂
I have three scopes in my home office, and an 8" Dob downstairs. I find it hard to choose between them. I can't even imagine having this many!
I really enjoyed the Video Ed. Thank you. What an amazing collection 🤓......and now I feel like such an underachiever and truly miss my FS-102 and vintage 60mm Pentax Asahi. 🤷🏻♂️
Hey Ed, I've been watching your channel for a few years and was curious why i never see William Optics ? keep up the awesome content ! clear skys buddy
Any chance of a video review of that tasty Takahashi FC-100 grey tube version that you have there? I also have a grey FC-100 incoming (year 1985, but it's got Multi Coated optics (purple coatings), so at some point mine was refigured or lens replacement by Tak (they offered a MC service for FC scopes around 1990 apparently, and also around 1995 Tak offered lens replacement for the cloudy lens issue that many FC pre-1986 non multi-coated lenses have). I'd love so see some pix of your FC-100's lens and cell!
Hello, Mr. Ting;
Thank you for all you do, & particularly for sharing your incredible collection.
Your "collection" is ASTOUNDING!
I would never want that many 'scopes, as Proverbs says; "Give me neither poverty nor riches."-Proverbs 30:8.
Seems like too much of a good thing, if you know what I mean.
It reminds me of Solomon's women, "700 wives ... and 300 concubines".-1 Kings 11:3.
How could he even maintain a relationship w/ each?
My guess is you seldom use most of them.
I have 2 'scopes & a pair of binoculars, I use the binocs almost daily, weather permitting.
My Orion 6" StarBlast is used maybe 2-3 x / month.
My 70mm refractor needs a mount so I hardly use it.
Altho I have used it to view sun spots, I'm still learning to do that.
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
photon vacuum cleaners are nice collectible i like especially when they're silent
Ed I recently purchased a 1968 Tasco 15TE-5 with all of the parts in mint condition in a beautiful hardwood box. The telescope was apparently unused, ever. Do you have the manual you could send or post? What kind of diagonal adapter to. 996 to 1-¼" eyepieces?
It has all the caps (trashcan for the primary and little white cap for the finder) and 120V synchronous clock drive with springy slow motion controls and solar projection screen. It has the Royal Astro circle stamp on the focuser drawtube...
Fun video!
I used to race road bikes myself.... trying to get into telescopes now.....
Wonderful collection, and all in use! I need to get my 10” dob and ETX125 OTA out more often now that I’ve seen this.😃👍
And get a refractor, and a decent EQ mount, and some kmaging bits, maybe an off-axis dob…
Just bought an FS-60C. It'll be my 1st Tak
Very nice video Ed
I just wanted to know, what telescope did you use to take the picture of the phrases of the moon that is behind you in some videos? (The picture on the left in 8:15)
Usually those are taken with either the FC76 or the FS102.
@@edting Thanks Ed :)
Ed, that was a very interesting insight into your telescope collection. I imagine the majority of your UA-cam viewers probably have less than 5 telescopes. I myself just have two but, there again I'm a relative newby in astronomy. I must ask have you ever thought of rationalising your collection, for example, you do seem to have a lot of 8" diameter telescopes, at a push you could probably manage with just two, one for visual and the other for astrophotography? I'd welcome your thoughts.
Even if my first telescope isn't the best I'm happy I still have it in my collection! Thanks for sharing Ed, good stuff!
Just checked, I think there's a spider living in it...
@@UserMum7512 is it holding up the secondary ?
@@UserMum7512 Leave it alone,they're the thing that produces the canals in Mars,like in Lowell's telescope.
8:21 There. He said it. Only for the one fourth of his collection though.
Dear Ed, I have observed you don't talk much about maksutovs? Do you not like them? I never heard you recommending them either.. I would really like to hear your opinion on them
Maks exist at the top of our hobby (Questar/Quantum, Ceravolo, the Russian stuff) and at the bottom (the Chinese knockoffs). I usually do not recommend them as first telescopes. Beginners are unprepared for their long focal lengths and often buy them thinking they are "portable" which they are not - you need a big mount to hold all that focal length steady. The cheap stuff like the ETX have QC issues. But there is nothing wrong with having a Mak as a 2nd or 3rd scope.
@@edting Thanks Ed for taking time out for my question. This makes great sense, I was wondering about them as a second scope but I guess I am not sure about those long focal lengths and limited FOV yet